LFU:online

·   Become familiar with the broad outlines of medieval European history, including major geo-political divisions and forms of government.

·   Appreciate the ways in which medieval assumptions about politics, religion, and social life differ from modern ones, and thereby gain new perspectives on modern beliefs.

·   Learn better how to study history through the analysis of primary sources, including literary texts and the visual arts. 

This course introduces students to important religious, cultural, political, and social developments in Europe from the time of Charlemagne (around 800) to around 1450.  Students will explore the medieval world from various perspectives through close attention to a series of primary sources, including works of literary fiction, philosophical and theological texts, secular and ecclesiastical laws, examples of visual arts and architecture, and documents related to medieval social life. Throughout the course we will pay special attention to aspects of the medieval world that live on in early modernity, including in early modern, and we will visit sites in Innsbruck that appeal to medieval ideas—of political authority, for example. Students will also be able to gain credit for brief reports on medieval sites in other cities they visit during the summer.